Sometimes. basketball is a simple game. You make shots, you score points, you win games. Much like last Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers hit almost 50% of their shots, including almost half of their three point attempts, and defeated the Washington Wizards 105-88, to win their first round playoff series four games to two, and advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals against either Boston or Atlanta, who will play a seventh game on Sunday afternoon.
Wally Szczerbiak got the good shooting day started in the first quarter, hitting a couple long range shots, and as usual, LeBron James started to look for the hot man. James spent the first quarter as the playmaker, taking just two shots in the opening stanza, but the Wizards parlayed a good quarter of hitting the offensive boards into a six point lead at the end of one. Once the Cavs started blocking out the weak side, it was pretty much all over for Washington.
There is something about closeout games that gets Daniel Gibson going. A hero a year ago in the Game 6 clinching game against the Pistons, Boobie continued Szczerbiak’s three point barrage in the second quarter. He wound up with 22 points on the night, and showed that his coach was right in playing him the last few weeks of the regular season. Mike Brown knew that the wine and gold needed an effective Gibson to win in the playoffs, both offensively and defensively. Gibson provided both in the first round series.
Of course, you cannot mention the victory without discussing the performance of James. He had a triple double in hand with almost three minutes remaining in the third quarter! He wound up with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists. And as ESPN’s Mike Tirico said in the second half, it was almost surprising when The King didn’t make a shot. He was that dominant of a figure in the series. For all of the physical play the Wizards tried in the series, remember it had no effect on the man who is really the best player in the world.
We have also said that Mike Brown is a better coach in the playoffs than in the regular season. After Caron Butler’s Game 5 outburst, the coaching staff took him away from Eddie Jordan in Game 6. With Antawn Jamison struggling to make shots early in the contest, the Wiz had no alternative. They scored just 57 points in the last three quarters. This type of game planning with continue to be important as the post-season goes on.
So, Tuesday night, the journey continues in either Boston (probably) or at The Q against the Atlanta Hawks. If it is the Celtics, the biggest problem facing the Cavs will be stopping the penetration of Rajon Rondo. The wine and gold have had problems with the quick point guards all season long, and in last year’s Finals as well (see Parker, Tony). Yes, the Celts have the big three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, but Rondo is the x-factor. Gibson will get the responsibility to keep Rondo out of the paint. Don’t think that Mike Brown didn’t know this when he got Boobie back in the playing rotation late in the season.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 